TISDALE 鈥� A Tisdale bus stop beside 111th Avenue and 98th Street in Tisdale has been relocated following parents of children standing out in the road to prevent drivers from passing.
The new stop, effective May 4, will have students boarding the bus at the alley between 98th Street and 100A Street on the north side of 111th Avenue.
Jocelyn Hilkewich is a mother to a seven-year-old, and one of a few Tisdale parents who were volunteering their own time to stand on the road by the old stop and physically stop drivers when the bus stop sign hand is raised.
Hilkewich鈥檚 daughter has been using the bus stop beside the 111th Avenue and 98th Street intersection since 2018.
A year later, Hilkewich began stepping out into the street after it became apparent to her drivers weren鈥檛 going to stop.
鈥淟ots of drivers speed on that street in general, and there are lots of children that play across the street there 鈥� but my biggest concern is when the bus is unloading and loading,鈥� Hilkewich said.
鈥淚 stand in the road every day. The latest incident I was a minute late getting to the stop so I wasn鈥檛 standing in the intersection, but I heard a vehicle coming way too fast so I didn鈥檛 step off onto the street. The bus driver was honking to keep the children back.鈥�
She isn鈥檛 the only parent working the cause by standing in the road to ensure the children can make it across safely.
On April 29, Tisdale RCMP and NESD transportation department visited the bus stop beside the 111th Avenue and 98th Street intersection to look at the issues and see what solutions can be arranged.
This led to the location being changed.
Peter Fofonoff, the stop鈥檚 bus driver, said it鈥檚 gotten to the point where some drivers would drive around the crossing children.
鈥淚 load and unload at the same spot. I鈥檓 always facing east and cars coming from east to west, they just kind of pull over to the side and turn into the crescent on 98th Street. Some of them must feel that while there are no kids on their side they don鈥檛 need to stop,鈥� Fofonoff said.
鈥淚鈥檓 responsible for the safety of those children and it鈥檚 tough to work with some of that when you have drivers that don鈥檛 obey the laws.鈥�
When a driver looks like they aren鈥檛 going to stop, Fofonoff said he will press down on the horn to try to stop them and warn the students.
鈥淚 blow the horn and they just stop. They don鈥檛 move until I tell them again it鈥檚 safe.鈥�
At one point Hilkewich couldn鈥檛 escort her daughter to the spot, so she paid a local boy $25 a week to escort her daughter for her 鈥� minus the standing out on the street.
In a couple incidents, Hilkewich said she had to physically grab a child by the hood to pull them out from in front of a moving vehicle.
鈥淚鈥檝e had vehicles touch me to turn the corner, and go up on the curb to go around the corner. I don鈥檛 know what needs to change there, it seems like it could be adjusted so it鈥檚 not obstructing the turn on 98th Street,鈥� she said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an extremely busy street, but it鈥檚 also centrally located between the trailer park, Golburn Crescent, our own street, and 110th Street, south of us.鈥�
Some of the steps she鈥檚 taken included contacting the town, the school committee council, the bus depot, and the local RCMP.
鈥淯nfortunately when you鈥檙e in a panic and not watching every detail about the vehicles that are passing by and just trying to keep the kids safe it makes it harder to follow up on charges.鈥�
In a letter written to the town in 2019, Hilkewich requested speed bumps and better signage in the area.
鈥淚 was told at the time that they weren鈥檛 prepared to adjust anything and they were going to work with the RCMP, and they did come out and monitor the speed at that location for a while,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here were three occasions when I noticed them come out鈥� It was very sporadic I would say.鈥�
While the officers were there, Hilkewich said the drivers behave as they should, but when they鈥檙e not there they continue to disobey the bus鈥檚 stop sign.
鈥淚鈥檝e had people yell out their windows at me while I鈥檓 obstructing traffic, rev up their engines at me, I鈥檝e had messages at home 鈥� I鈥檝e faced a lot of backlash over trying to keep the children safe.鈥�
Hilkewich said they鈥檒l see how the new spot works out.
